Air
by LilahMorgann
Summary: Chickie Brown and Ben Sherman were made to be with each other, but will the life of being a cop, and an unexpected twist keep them apart?   Disclaimer: I own Southland in no way or form.  Please review :
1. Chapter 1

Officer Chickie Brown let the cool air of the LA night sweep across her pale skin as she stared into the distance of the city. Since Officer Dewey had been transferred she was partnered up with Langley Connelly, a nice and fairly young cop. The two had stopped at the gas station for a quick bathroom break. Chickie had told Langley she would wait for her outside, but Langley had yet to come outside and Chickie was beginning to worry maybe she had decided to grab coffee. She prayed she wouldn't buy any coffee for her too. As her mind began to spin with all the worries that were on her bran she knew all of this was her own fault, but she couldn't even believe it had happened. Ben Sherman. Who would have thought she had Ben would have ever been a good match for each other? That they would have so much chemistry? _So damn stupid! _Chickie thought to herself as she gave the police car a small punch. She was already a single mom to her thirteen year old son Kyle, but she honestly thought she would never have more children. And then she was late. She had been two weeks late when she took the pregnancy test at home, and even though she knew the truth in her heart she convinced herself she shouldn't get worked up until she saw the doctor. She knew she would have to come to terms with it soon. Even though she had never worked desk duty she knew it wasn't the end of the world, and it was the right thing to do. She knew her instincts would always be to protect to baby. It wasn't fair to Langley to have a partner that wouldn't do everything to have her back.

Chickie remembered the night she was with Ben more vividly then almost anything. She and Ben were done with their night shift and were walking down the hallway to the parking lot

"_What do you say to some drinks at Halligan's?" Chickie asked. She had asked him several times to go out alone before, and she thought he was clueless to the fact she had feelings for him. True, she was about 6 years older then him, but she had never felt so at ease with someone._ _Ben let out one of his soft laughs and he smiled brightly at her._

_ "Chickie, if I were crazy I would say you were asking me out on dates."_

"_Don't be an idiot." She said as she let out a fake laugh, and lightly punched him in the arm._

"_Sure Chickie, let's get something at Halligan's," He smiled._

Next thing they knew, after way to much alcohol, they ended up at his apartment. Maybe it was stress, maybe it was built up sexual tension, or maybe it was the fact their jobs put so much weight on them they needed someone to be with that night. Whatever the reason, they had crossed the line from friendship to a relationship. And look at the mess that had gotten them into.

"Chickie, you okay?" Langley's voice pulled her out of her day dreaming. Chickie looked up to see her partner offering up a cup of coffee.

"Yeah, sure. You ready to head back to the station?" She asked while grabbing the coffee she knew she was just going to pretend to drink. Chickie didn't hear Langley's response as another police car pulled into the lot. She took a deep breath as she recognized the car number as Ben and his partner John's. She wanted to tell him everything, but she didn't want to scare him away either. After all she didn't even know for sure. Ben had been the most amazing boyfriend for the last month, but no one in the department even knew they were together because they didn't want to risk one of them getting transferred. Although officers were directly banned from dating other law enforcement workers, it wasn't exactly encouraged either.

"Ben, you want coffee?" John asked, but Ben didn't have any time to answer the question as a black SUV rode past the gas station. Almost instantly the roar of gun fire spread through the air. Everyone tried to hit the floor and Ben took Chickie down with him, but when the gun fire ended he realized something was very wrong.

"No-no-no. Chickie, wake up! Please! Oh god- John help!" Ben screamed for his partner who was helping Langley up. Chickie's blood was already covering Ben's hands as he tried to put pressure on the gunshot in her shoulder. She began to moan in pain as tears came to her eyes.

"Ben- oh god Ben- I'm so sorry-," Chickie struggled to say but Ben cut her off.

"Your going to be fine, okay? Everything is going to be fine, okay?" He was trying to stay calm for her, but her body began to shake from the shock and her sobs. Ben tried to stay calm for her and act as if he wasn't terrified she was going to die.

"Ben," She managed to whisper as all the air seemed to be leaving her lungs. "I'm so sorry I didn't tell you. I'm so sorry. Oh god I'm going to lose the baby."


	2. Chapter 2

**I really want to continue this story, and if people could give me some constructive criticism that would help a lot.**

Despite the chaos of the ER right next to the private waiting room the air was filled with silence. Every so often one of the many cops would get up when they had to respond to a call, or to get their thirteenth cup of coffee. Ben sat rigid in the chair, and held rubbed his hands together impatiently. He wanted to stand outside the door so he could be the first to see the surgeon working on Chickie, but John had ordered him to sit tight. He closed his eyes for a moment. The image of Chickie in his arms crying for their unborn child sent chills up his spine. His eyes flashed open as he felt John sit next to him. John had gone to tell Kyle what had happened to his mother, and to promise him he would let him know when he could visit her. It was Ben's suggestion for John to tell Kyle. Ben had only met Kyle once at a picnic the previous month. He and Chickie had decided to wait until their relationship was steadier before they got Kyle hopes up. She had told him it was because she didn't want Kyle getting too attached, but Ben knew she was a little afraid his reaction wouldn't be so enthusiastic.

"How is he?" Ben asked.

"The minute he saw me he knew something was wrong. Took me ten minutes to calm him down enough where I could tell him she wasn't dead." John grunted.

"They were supposed to go to the coast on Thursday. I have the day off too, and she was thinking maybe it would be a good idea for Kyle and me to get to know each other."

"Guess that's going to be a crash course now." John replied.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ben asked.

"Not like she is going to admit it, but Chickie is going to need some help while she recovers. I'm pretty sure that falls into the boyfriend category."

"Yeah, yeah of course." Ben whispered as he shook his head. He wasn't used to people knowing about them, and he wasn't even sure if there was going to a "them" after the night.

"The honeymoon faze is over by the way. You now how a recovery to look forward too, and then a pregnant girlfriend on desk duty." Both John and Ben were able to let out soft laughs. Chickie was not going to like taking it easy. Ben jumped up from his chair as he heard the door open and a surgeon walked in.

"Is there a family member of Chickie Brown I could speak to?" He asked.

"I'm her emergency contact." Ben suggested.

"Just who I need." The surgeon motioned for Ben to step into the hallway with him.

"Please tell me she is ok." He begged.

"Ms. Brown was shot in her right shoulder and the bullet went through and through. We were able to repair the damage, and she shouldn't suffer any long term damage."

"What about our baby?" Ben asked.

"A real fighter. We monitored the baby throughout surgery and he's doing just fine." Ben let out a sigh of relief, and rested against the wall. He didn't think he would have been able to tell Chickie if they had lost the baby.

"Can I see her yet?" Ben asked. The surgeon nodded and led him down the hallway. Ben couldn't wait to hold her hand.


	3. Chapter 3

*****Ben POV*****

The doctor and Ben walked down the long hallway together. Ben tried to take deep breaths, and began to wring his hands again.

"Is she on a breathing ventilator?" Ben asked.

"She is breathing great on her own." The doctor told him as he opened the door to Chickie's room. She looked small in the bed with her blond hair down which Ben realized he had seen so rarely. Her left arm was in a sling, and the air was filled with the sound of her hear monitor beating away. "When she wakes up would you please tell a nurse so I can examine her?" He asked Ben.

"Of course." Ben nodded as he took a seat next to her. The doctor checked a few things on the monitor and then left the room. Ben took her hand in his and began to talk to her.

"Chickie, I don't know if you can hear me but I'm going to say this anyway. I love you and I'm here for you." He could do nothing but hold her hand, and think of what he should tell her when she awoke. He was about to fall asleep when he saw her eyes flutter open.

"Ben?" She asked.

"I'm here babe. Is there anything you need? Does anything hurt?" He asked her. Then he remembered his promise to the doctor, and pressed the button to call the nurse.

"No, It feels a little sore but it doesn't hurt." She told him and managed a weak smile. Then fear flashed in her eyes and she put her hand to her stomach. "The baby! Ben-"

"The baby's just fine. That monitor is for his heartbeat." He told her and pointed to the machine. He then had to reassure her John and been gentle when telling Kyle about the shooting. He saw her shoulders relax and she closed her eyes for a few moments. The doctor came in with a blonde female doctor with him.

"Ms. Brown this is Dr. Mills. After I examine she would like to do a sonogram to examine the baby." Chickie nodded and the doctor tried to examine her as quickly as possible, seeing how nervous she was. "All right my work here is done. Please call me if you need anything, and you can go home in the next few days. Will there be anyone home with you to help?" he asked.

"That's me." Ben told him. He noticed Chickie arch her brow and wondered if that wasn't what she wanted. The doctor then left the room, and Dr. Mills pulled over the sonogram machine.

"The gel is going to be a little cold." She told Chickie who opened the front of her gown. Dr. Mills moved the instrument over her still flat belly, and quickly the rhythmic sound filled the air. "There is your little baby." She told them as she pointed to what Ben thought looked like a peanut.

"Our baby." He whispered as he gently squeezed Chickie's hand. She smiled up at him and gazed at the baby.

"He's okay?" She asked the doctor.

"A perfect baby. I would like to check on you right before you leave just to be safe." She told them and after she answered a few more questions from a nervous Chickie she left the room. Ben noticed how tired Chickie looked and gently brushed a lock of her hair out of her face.

"You should get some sleep." He told her and she nodded. "I'll go ask John if he can pick up some clothes for me." She shook her head and tried to sit up.

"Ben you need sleep too." She looked over at the alarm clock on the table. "Oh no its Saturday, the babysitter needs to go home soon! Would you mind sleeping over at my house so you can check up on Kyle?" she asked. Ben was pretty nervous to spend that much time with Kyle but he knew she needed him.

"Anthing for you. Do you need me to bring you anything from home?" He asked her.

"No but if Kyle wants to visit you can bring him by. But not for too long. He was always afraid of me getting shot especially after Dewy crashed the car, and I don't want to scare him too much." He nodded yet again and gently kissed her forehead. They locked eyes for a few seconds. This was all new to them. Their relationship hadn't been a cliché of a damsel in distress, but now there she was lying in a hospital bed with her arm in a sling. As he left the room he turned around to tell her good bye, and smiled when he saw her fast asleep.


	4. Chapter 4

*****Ben POV*****

**Thank you for the reviews. The next chapter will be in Chickie's pov, but I was wondering if anyone would be interested seeing a chapter in Kyle's pov.**

Ben tried to be as quiet as he could when arrived at her house at about seven in the morning. It was a relatively small house in not the best neighborhood. However it was all a single Mom/Cop could afford in LA. He was careful not to slam his car door, and when he reached the front door he tried to open it quietly. He lightly closed it behind him after entering and looked around for the babysitter, Jillian. He walked through the tight kitchen into the living room/ dinning room to find her asleep on the couch. She jerked up when she heard him come.

"Who in the heck are you?" the young woman asked.

"Ben Sherman, I'm Chickie's boyfriend. She's going to be in the hospital for a few days, so I'm going to stay home with Kyle." He could see she was skeptical. "Do you want to see my badge?"

"That would make me feel a lot better about leaving Kyle with you." He showed her the badge and she took plenty of time looking it over. He had an urge to tell her if he was a robber he wouldn't have gone to this effort, but he held it in. She packed up her things and left a few minutes later. He locked the door behind her and walked back into the kitchen, resting against the refrigerator. He looked around the tight space and began think about if there would be room for a baby. Would Chickie even want him living with her? She definitely wouldn't want to live in his bachelor pad. At that moment he knew what he needed to do even if it would make him uncomfortable. It wasn't about him anymore.

"Ben?" Kyle was squinting and standing in the hallway.

"Hey Kyle. I'm going to be staying here for a while to help out while your mom is getting better."

"Why are you here and not Uncle John?" Ben didn't know what to say to this line of questioning. He wasn't sure what she wanted to tell him, and he had no idea how they were going to explain the pregnancy.

"I live a lot closer to your house." Ben knew Kyle wasn't going to buy any of this. He wasn't thirteen not five. "Your Mom said you can come visit her if you want to."

"Is she hurt really bad?" Kyle shifted uncomfortably.

"No, no. She got hit in the shoulder, but she is doing great." He wondered if he should hug Kyle or do something fatherly. He couldn't imagine how terrified the boy had been that he was going to lose his only parent. Chickie had told him how her ex-husband, Henry, had left her when Kyle was two. He had never called or written in that entire time. Kyle refused to talk about him, and had a melt down in the third grade when the class had made Fathers day cards.

"Can we see her right now?"

"Sure. Just get dressed and I'll bring you over." Kyle nodded and walked down the hallway. Ben paced around the room and smiled when he saw Kyle's school test on the front of the refrigerator. There were also several pictures of Kyle and Chickie surfing. He remembered how shocked she had been when she found out he couldn't surf. She had sworn she was going to teach him. He heard Kyle's footsteps and grabbed his car keys. There was awkward silence as they drove along the road.

"Are you dating my mom?" Kyle asked bluntly.

"Yeah but don't tell her I told you." He smiled at Kyle and he smiled back. Ben knew they were going to be fine.


	5. Chapter 5

**So darn in last nights episode they finally said the name of her son, Tristan. I like it better than Kyle but oh well. **

***Chickie POV***

Chickie was awoken by a chair scraping against the cold tile floor. When opened her eyes she saw John sitting next to her bed shifting uncomfortably.

"John you should go home and lay down. Sitting in bad chairs all night is not good for your back." She told him and tried to sit up. She had tried to be firm with her words by they came out just a little louder then a whisper.

"The lady that got shot should not be giving orders." He grunted. Chickie saw a real look of concern in his eyes that she knew he was trying to hide, and was grateful to have a friend that would be this strong for her.

"Yeah, yeah tough guy." She smiled and squeezed his hand.

"Ben say when he was going to come by with Kyle?" He asked.

"No, I told him to bring by Kyle when he wanted to come. I don't want all the machines to scare him. I don't even know how I'm- we are going to tell about the baby. Or if we even should." She lay back in the bed again but still kept her eyes on John.

"I would tell him. Heck I wouldn't be surprised if he heard something about the baby while walking through that hallway. I know those other cops are our friends but they have big mouths on them."

"You should be one to talk! I heard you say how Ben couldn't keep his eyes off of me to Officer Ryan a few weeks ago. Lt. Myers walked by just a few seconds later! You could have blown our cover." She told him and then shook her head. "Damn he knows doesn't he?" She asked him.

"Well, let's see. You were crying on the scene 'I'm going to lose our baby' while Ben held you as he also cried. What do you think?"

"This sucks John. Now one of us is going to get transferred and we are never going to see each other!" She groaned.

"Hey don't lose it just yet. Departments are short officers and ours is no exception. If you can convince Lt. Myers you both can be professional and not let the relationship interfere he might let you both stay." John suggested. She smiled knowing this was John being a softy.

"Maybe. It might help if you talked to Lt. Myers too. Ben has been doing great being trained with you, and you could tell Lt. that you two shouldn't be broken up." She saw John bite his lip and she hoped he would be there for her.

"Sure I can try." He told her. "Now get some rest you need it."

"Wake me up when Ben gets here?" She asked.

"Sure thing."


	6. Chapter 6

**Again thank you all for the reviews. If there is anything specific you are just dying to see Ben and Chickie go through I will try to work it in.**

***Ben POV***

Ben walked down the hospital hallway with Kyle behind him, and he waved at the remaining cops standing around. He knew that being a cop meant being in a special kind of family when he became one. However he now knew he couldn't even have begun to understand the type of loyalty that came with that family. He couldn't help but smile when he saw Kyle wringing his hands.

"You okay buddy?" he asked.

"I don't like seeing my Mom like this. You know not all strong and stuff."

"I know how you feel. But we need to be strong for her okay?" Ben knew he was saying these words more for himself then Kyle. "She is really lucky to have a great kid like you." Kyle gave been a sheepish grin. When they reached the door Ben saw Chickie was asleep, and John was still at her side. He opened the door slowly and motioned for Kyle to follow.

"Hey Boot. She wanted me to wake her up when you two got here."

"No don't do that. Let her rest." He pulled out a chair for Kyle next to John and walked around the bed. He sat on the edge of her bed and held her hand in his. "You should go home and get some sleep John. I won't be there for my shift today, okay?"

"The Lt. would have _made _you take it off Boot." John gently squeezed Kyle's shoulder and walked out of the room. Ben and Kyle sat quietly in the room for about half an hour. Then Chickie's eyes fluttered open, and she smiled when she looked up at Ben.

"Hi." Ben could hear she was still a little weak, but she sounded stronger already.

"Hey babe, look who I brought." He nodded toward her son.

"Hi Sweetie." She reached out for Kyle's hand and he looked for Ben's nod of approval before taking it. "Kyle, are you feeling okay honey? You look pale."

"No I'm fine Mom. I was just worried about you that's all."

"Well I'm fine too. I will be back to normal in no time. But until then Ben is going to stay with us for a little while." She gently squeezed Kyle's hand. But when Ben squeezed hers she blushed and pulled her hand away.

"It's fine Mom. I know you guys are dating."

"He just asked me. I didn't want to lie to him." Ben told her almost defensively.

"No it's good he knows. Now stop acting like I'm a piece of fragile glass and give your Mom a kiss." Kyle grinned and stood up to give his Mother a gentle kiss.

"I'm going to give you two a little time together." Ben gave her a peck on the check and slipped out of the room. He walked down the waiting room and paced around for what felt like hours. Finally getting the courage he pulled out his cell phone. This was the call he never wanted to make. But it wasn't about him anymore. It was about the woman he loved, their baby, and the teen that he needed to be a role model for. Ben dialed the phone and took a deep breath as it rang.

"Yeah Dad it's me. We need to talk okay? Meet me at Jackson's Bar at seven o'clock."


	7. Chapter 7

**Thank you for the reviews!**

***Ben POV***

Ben slowly approached the door of the restaurant, but he hesitated when his hand reached for it. He continued to stare at the dark grain wood door for a few minutes while taking slow breaths. He walked into the restaurant he could already see his Father, Jack, sitting at the bar. Silently he took a seat next to Jack while signaling to the bar tender.

"Scotch on the rocks." They sat in silence and the bar tender slid the drink to Ben. He took a long swig of the drink.

"Do you want to tell me what I am doing here at seven when I could be working?" Jack signaled to the bartender for another round.

"Glad to see you too, Dad." Ben muttered as he continuted to look at the bar and not his Father.

"Don't play that crap with me. The last time I tried to see you I distinctly remember you running out of the restaurant."

"I don't want to have a heart to heart. I just want my money okay? I want the money from _my_ trust fund." Jack put down his drink and chuckled.

"You told me that money was blood money."

"Don't make this any harder than it already is. Just tell Michael to give me access to some the money." Michael Midland was the Sherman family's accountant, and was one of the few employees of his father he could stand.

"Some? What the hell does that mean? There is fifty-five million in that fund. Who in the hell wouldn't want fifty five million?" He smirked at Ben. "You have been refusing that money for sixteen years. Why do you want it now? Cops pay isn't so great?"

"That's none of your business. I came to you because I don't want to put Michael in the middle of this." Technically Ben could access the trust fund money at anytime through Michael. But he knew if he tried without his fathers permission there would be hell to pay. Jack would make sure he wouldn't get the money for another twenty years.

"I will make sure you get that money if you just tell me why you want just some of it!"

"Just make sure there Michael gets five million in my bank account. I want the rest of the money split into two other trust that money _isn't_ for me." Ben singled for another drink and turned back to his father. There was a look of confusion and amusement in his eyes.

"Why in the world would you split the money like that? You knock up some whore?" Ben got down from the barstool and slammed his fist against the bar top.

"If you ever call her that again I will blow your brains out." Jack shook his head and sighed. Ben tried to gain control of his emotions and he looked around the restaurant to see if he had drawn too much attention to himself. But no one was looking at them. The people there were the kind who knew not to get in the middle of a fight over trust funds.

"Damn, just what this family needs. How much do you think she would take to get rid of it and keep her mouth shut?" Ben stared at his Father who had a look of complete seriousness in his eyes. He clamped his fist together to fight the urge to punch him.

"Chickie is a good woman who is carrying your grandchild. If you ever talk about her like that again you will never meet that baby."

"Calm down, I'll call Michael later. I'm assuming the one fund is for your baby, but what about the other fund? It would make Michael's life easier to know who that money is going to." Ben put money for his tab on the bar top and started to walk away.

"Kyle Brown."


	8. Chapter 8

Ben slowly got out of Chickie's bed, and was careful not to wake her up. It wasn't too early, six thirty, but it was still a little dark out. He hoped when he turned on the small lamp it wouldn't wake her up. It was his first day back on the job after she had been shot. The doctors had given her strict orders for bed rest for the next month, but they had been quite optimistic for her recovery. The bullet had luckily only hit the muscle and not a joint, which would have been much more serious. As he started to pull on his jeans he heard a rustling of covers.

"Excited to be going back? I know John is. He cant stand your replacement." Ben walked over to her side of the bed and took her hand.

"I wish you would let me take some more time off to stay home with you."

"Ben, we already talked about this. I don't want you to get behind on your training." She smiled and then gave a big yawn. He gave her a gentle kiss, but then sighed when he heard water running. Chickie's small place only had one bathroom, and sharing it with a teen wasn't the best situation.

"Just yell at him to get out if he takes too long." She told him. Ben sat in silence for a few moments as he tried to choose he words carefully.

"Look I don't want you to get upset, okay? But I think it would be better for all of us if we got a bigger place. My lease is almost up and- " Chickie sat up as quickly as she could.

"By getting a bigger place you mean buying one right?"

"Well, yeah. Nothing really fancy or anything. Maybe just a four bedroom house." He tried to squeeze her hand but she pulled away.

"Ben, you know I couldn't help pay half of that mortgage." Sighing he took her hand and this time she let him.

"I know you don't want to feel like I am supporting you and I know you can take care of yourself on your own. But I want to provide for my family." He smiled that dorky grin. "I'm a man, and that's what men are supposed to do." She laughed and kissed him on the cheek.

"Fine, maybe when I get stronger we can look around. But I want to move before the baby comes." Laying back down she put her hand on her belly, and closed her eyes. "How in the world are we going to tell your family?" Ben hadn't told her about the meeting with his father yet. After he had left he had phoned his father back with threats if he told anyone about the baby.

"We can have dinner at my Mom's. It could be a celebration for when you get off bed rest and can go back to work."

"That's going to be an awkward dinner. 'Hi Mom. This is my new girlfriend Chickie, and guess what? I already got her pregnant.' I'm six years older than you, and they are going to think I'm some desperate woman trying to get your money."

"Stop that. My mother is going to love you, and so is everyone else." He paused and took a minute to think if he should tell her. "Look, we need to talk about the money though."

"Okay, what about it?"

"Well, I have a trust fund as you probably guessed. But I met with my father and I decided to give some of that money to other people."

"You and your father were able to see each other in person, and one of you didn't end up murdered? Now that's impressive." She and Ben laughed." How much money are you keeping?" She asked quietly.

"Five million." He saw her eyes bulge and she took a deep breath.

"I don't think I even ever said those words before. Five million. Who are you giving the rest of the money to?"

"I want to make sure our family is taken care of, so I am splitting it between the baby and Kyle."

"What?" Her eyes began to water and he took her in his arms gently kissing her hair.

"Ben?"

"Yeah babe?"

"How much money is in each of their trust fund?" He sighed and held her closer.

"Twenty five million." She jerked away and turned to face him.

"Twenty five million? And you don't think your family is going to think I'm after your money?" She was whispering as loudly as she could. She took and deep breath, but then began to cry. Ben took her in his arms again. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to sound so ungrateful. I love you." They both smiled and passionately kissed for what seemed like hours.

"Chickie, I love you more than I ever thought I could ever love someone. I want to be here for you and help take care of our family. If my family doesn't like you then I have no problem walking away from them. I don't want to have them in my life if they cant see you are the best thing that has ever happened to me."


	9. Chapter 9

**So I'm not sure if the medical facts of this are accurate but I'm sure I'm not the only person that doesn't want to go through months of Chickie being on bed rest. That's just boring!**

Ben and his partner, John, got in the cop car after responding to 911 call that had ended up being a four year old playing with his mother's cell phone.

"The lady could have at least said she was sorry." John grunted while starting the car.

"But that would require admitting her little angel isn't perfect." Ben laughed. "I am going to make you let me drive sometime today you know." After John had recovered from his pill addiction and gone through physical rehab for his back he had decided not to be a training officer anymore. Ben knew it was because he was the first partner John had ever liked, but he knew John was never going to admit that. He didn't complain though. John was the best partner he could have asked for. They continued to drive through the city watching for any criminal activity.

"How much longer is Chickie tied to that bed?" John asked.

"It's two more weeks for now, but we have to see what the doctor says then. She should be out of a sling less than a month after that."

"For your own sanity I hope he doesn't extend her sentence." John told him, and the both laughed. It had only been two weeks and as hard as she had tried Chickie was going a bit stir crazy.

"You're telling me. She wants to come right back to work even though Lt. told her she could take extra time off. She couldn't be more ready to go back, but meeting my mother?" Ben sighed.

"Hey, you managed to get one of the last decent women in this city. Your mother is bat-shit crazy if she doesn't like her." John told him.

"That's what I keep telling her." Then another 911 call came in and they began to drive to the location. Ben knew he could have let the conversation go on into the money and the house, but all of that was too new to talk to even John about.

*****Two Weeks Later*****

Chickie shifted uncomfortably in her car seat while examining her outfit. Most of the time she wore comfortable like jeans, but tonight she wore nice slacks and a red silk top. She took a deep breath as they pulled up to a beautiful mansion that was Bens mothers. Ben parked along the curb and took her hand in his.

"Everything is going to be okay. My mother and sister are going to love you." He smiled.

"And you're sure they are the only people going to be there?" She asked.

"I'm sure. I told my Mom that I wanted a quite dinner so I could introduce the new woman in my life to the other women in my life." He reached over and gently kissed her. "You brought it right?" She nodded and pulled out the sonogram from her pure to show him before putting it back. Ben smiled at it and got out of the car to open her door. They walked to the door together but before they ran the door bell the door swung open.

"Hi baby." Linda Sherman smiled while giving her son a large hug. She let him go and took a moment to look over Chickie.

"You must be Chickie; it is so nice to meet you. Come in!" She took both of their coats and walked to the closet to hang them up.

"Hey Ben." Olivia said as she walked out from the kitchen. Olivia was a beautiful California blonde who shared similar features to Ben.

"Hey, Sis. Olivia this is my new girlfriend, Chickie." Olivia stuck out her hand and shook Chickie's free hand.

"We have heard a lot about you." Olivia smiled.

"And hopefully you have heard a lot about us. Good things we hope." Linda said and they all laughed. "Dinner is ready and on the table. I hope you like grilled pork chops." Linda led them into the dinning room and Ben pulled out a chair for Chickie. She stared at the plate unsure what to do with the meat that required cutting. Linda blushed when she realized her mistake.

"I am so sorry! I didn't even think-"

"No, no it's fine really. It was very sweet of you to take the time to cook for us." She told Linda as Ben cut her meat. "Thank you Sweetheart." The dinner started off awkward but they quickly began to have a lively conversation full of laughing.

"So, Ben tells me you have a son. Kyle isn't it?"

"Yes, he is the sweetest boy you could imagine. He can't wait to take Ben out surfing!" She smiled.

"I would pay to see that! Any chance you could record that for us." Olivia said and they all laughed. "Now you have to tell us all the dorky stuff my brother did on his first days on the job!"

"Well, I really shouldn't. But there was this one time when he handcuffed a suspect, and then the suspect just started running down the street. But instead of getting in his car to chase him down he tried to run after him and-" Chickie laughed as Ben put his hand over her mouth.

"Okay, enough work talk." He laughed. He paused and looked at Chickie who nodded. "Mom, Olivia there is another reason why I wanted to have this dinner. Chickie, do you want to?" She smiled and took his hand. She had been so nervous before but she had quickly fallen in love with his family.

"Ben and I are… pregnant." Linda's face broke into the largest smile as tears quickly came to her eyes.

"Mom it's okay." Ben laughed and got up to hug her.

"I'm going to be a grandmother." Linda exclaimed and rushed over to Chickie who was pulling out the sonogram.

"Wait, before you hug me I think you should see this first." She handed the picture to Linda who showed it to Olivia.

"Oh wow Ben that's amazing. I can't believe I'm going to be an Aunt." Olivia whispered as Linda carefully hugged Chickie.

"Our little miracle baby." Ben smiled as he put his hand on her belly.


	10. Chapter 10

Chickie and Ben walked up the ramp of the police station together on a warm Monday morning. It was her first day back and Ben was having a little trouble keeping up with her quick pace. He was wearing his own backpack and carrying hers too.

"Can I please have my bag back? I don't want everyone else getting the idea I'm fragile." She said in a harsh tone but still wore a smile.

"That would probably be a good idea considering your arm is still in a sling." He told her.

"You always have to point out the details don't you Sherman?" They laughed. They made their way to the elevator with plenty of welcomes to Chickie. He gave her a quick peck on the cheek when she got to the women's changing room.

"Are you sure you aren't going to need any help changing?" He asked.

"Ben, it's a button down shirt and pants. Its not rocket science." She squeezed his hand and walked in. She would never admit it to him but it was a little trickier than she thought it was going to be. But she still managed to get the daily briefing on time after setting up her desk and she sat next to Langley.

"Long time no see." Langley told her and gave her a gentle hug.

"It's great to see you Langley. Who have you been paired up with lately?" She asked.

"Johnson usually or Clark sometimes." Lt. Myers walked in and handed out the daily report. He went through the usually housekeeping and briefed them about a robber who was targeting older males. He made eye contact with Chickie and smiled.

"And of course everyone is glad to see Officer Brown back. I know we are all frustrated we didn't get who hurt her and risked 3 other officers' lives. But I'm confident one day we will nail the bastards. Everyone show her support because we all could imagine how much seven months of desk duty sucks." There were a mix of groans and laughs. "Okay everyone you're dismissed. Brown, Sherman please stay in here." Langley gave her a sympathetic look and walked away with the others. Ben came up behind Chickie and put his hand on her shoulder. They had known this was coming, and that Myers had been kind to wait until she was stronger to have this talk. But it didn't really make it any easier.

"Give it to us straight." Ben told him.

"Okay, here is the situation. I had to pull a lot of favors because I don't think that separating you two is what is best for this division or this city. But if there is ever a situation when either of you cross the line one of you will have to be transferred. A transfer will also happen if I get any serious complaints about there being to much public affection in the station."

"Thank you for doing this for us Lt. We would never see each other if we got transferred." Chickie told him and shook his hand.

"Don't make me regret it." He smiled. Ben and Chickie left the conference room, and let out a sigh of relief.

"Thank god that is over." Ben said.

"Yeah, and now I have this to get through." Chickie said and nodded at her desk. He gave her hand a squeeze and they walked over to the desk. She saw the look of pride when he saw the pictures on her new desk. One was of her and Kyle posing with their surfboards. Another was of her and Ben with his arm draped around her, and the last was the sonogram of the baby.

"I'll try to bring you some lunch okay?" He told her as he saw John signaling they needed to leave.

"Be safe." She told his as he walked away.


	11. Chapter 11

**Thanks again for the reviews. It's only fun to write this stuff if people like it :) **

She couldn't understand how there could be so much work, yet she was as bored as she never thought she could imagine. She mumbled to herself that all of this work was busy work, and no one would ever know if she didn't do it. She knew in her heart that wasn't the truth. But it still made her feel better to vent inside her head. Ben had called her a few minutes before to tell her that he couldn't stop by with lunch like he wanted to. It didn't really bother her because she was feeling insanely nauseous. She kept telling herself she couldn't get sick not on her first day back. But before she knew it she was kneeling on the side of her desk with her head in the small wastebasket. She heaved for a few minutes until someone put there hand on her shoulder.

"I guess having your hair back all the time is a positive thing now right?" Chickie turned her head to see Detective Lydia kneeling next to her. Chickie nodded and tried to smile.

"Drink some of this Mama." Detective Josie, Lydia's partner, offered her a plastic cup of water. She drank it in one gulp. She felt weak and tired, but she managed to pull her self up.

"Hey, hey slow down." Lydia said.

"No, it's okay Lydia." Josie put her hand on Lydia's shoulder and smiled. Chickie knew Josie was a mother and must have gone through the same thing. Lydia seemed to get the message that Chickie didn't want the rest of the division treating her differently so she just smiled as Chickie took her seat again.

"Can I help you two with something? Or do you two just spend your days helping pregnant women?" Chickie asked.

"Actually, we do need something. Nothing really exciting. But from what I remember desk duty is meaningless paperwork, and we could really use your help verifying some alibis for us." Josie smiled. "It's a triple homicide and a certain officer told us there was a very bored woman up here."

"Damn. Ben can't be giving me special treatment even like this." She grumbled.

"Oh, it wasn't Ben. It was John." Lydia told her. "You in?"

"Consider me your go to girl for the next seven months when you have real police work that needs to be done."

"Thanks Brown." Josie handed her a thick list of papers.

"No problem." Chickie told them as they walked away. Verifying alibis wasn't exactly chasing gang bangers down the street but at least it was something. She smiled when she looked at the sonogram, and reminded herself she was doing all of this to keep the baby safe. But a sense of dread came over her when she looked at the picture of her and Kyle. She still hadn't decided how she was going to tell him about the baby, and she knew she needed to do it soon. She was almost out of her first trimester, and there really wasn't a reason to wait. But then she would have to tell him about the trust fund. No, she thought to herself, none of that at work. For now it was alibis. She knew how handle those.


	12. Chapter 12

Chickie tried to clear her head as Ben drove them home. Ben noticed how quite she had been, but he didn't want to pry. She had started to be just a little bit moody lately, so he decided to let her talk when she wanted to.

"We need to tell Kyle about the baby." She said when they stopped for a red light.

"Of course."

"Tonight at dinner." She said firmly.

"Okay, I guess we've put it off for a while." He paused as they began to drive again. "Do you think he is going to be upset?"

"I have no idea what to expect out of a teenage boy who finds out his mom is pregnant." She laughed.

"He is probably going to be horrified with the thought you've been having sex." Ben laughed. But he wanted to calm her down, and reassure her she was doing the right thing. "It's a good thing we're telling him Chickie. Now we can start looking at houses together. We can bring him with us so he feels involved."

"That's a good idea. Make sure he doesn't feel left out. But I think it's better if we don't tell him about the trust fund. I don't want him to slack off in high school or college because he knows he has twenty-five million waiting for him." She noticed Ben make a sour expression. "What was that for?"

"Its just… well, you're going to want Kyle to get to know my side of the family, right?"

"Of course. But how does that have anything to do with the money."

"Kids brag about their trust funds, okay?" He sighed.

"They what? Why in the world would kids try to brag about things like that?" He could tell she was trying to be serious, but she couldn't hold back her laughter. He started laughing too, and he reminded himself he was lucky to have a woman who could make him laugh after such a long day.

"They like to try to prove they're better than each other. And I don't want Kyle thinking I don't care about him and gave the baby everything." Chickie stared out into the road as he drove.

"You're the first dad he's ever really known. You really care about him don't you?" She whispered.

"Of course I do. They way he helped take care of you when you were hurt was the most amazing thing I've seen from a kid. I want to be there for him like I'm going to be there for the baby."

"Then we'll tell him tonight." She smiled.


	13. Chapter 13

"Kyle? Kyle, you have to say something about what you're feeling." Chickie told him. She, Ben and Kyle were sitting around her dinning room table eating Kyle's favorite meal of baked chicken. She had hoped it would make him be in better mood to hear her news, but clearly she was wrong.

"I'm not feeling anything." He grumbled.

"It's okay to be upset Kyle. I remember I wasn't that thrilled when I found out I was going to be a brother." Kyle didn't even look up from the table.

"I'm not upset, and it's not that big of a deal."

"Sweetheart you're going to be a big brother. I can completely understand how that can be scary and exciting. Do you have any questions for us?"

"Can I go to my room?" He asked as he finally looked up from the table.

"Of course Sweetie." She smiled but Ben could see the tears well up in her eyes as Kyle walked away.

"Babe he is going to be fine." He told her as he took her hand in his.

"I know, I know. I was just hoping he was going to be a little more excited that's all." She sighed.

"He will be don't worry. It's just a lot for him to take in." He told her as he gave her a peck on the cheek. "What time is your doctor's appointment next Friday?"

"Eleven in the morning, why?"

"I have a friend from high school who is a real-estate agent, Jinny. She told me I could call her anytime when we wanted to look at houses. I was thinking we could go do it after your appointment, and break Kyle out of school early so we can all look together." She smiled and kissed him.

"That sounds perfect."

*** Dr. Carrey Kline's Office***

Ben and Chickie were excited to see their baby again, but first Dr. Corbin had to make sure her arm shoulder was healing.

"Now can you bend your arm forward for me?" Dr. Corbin asked and Chickie did.

"Very good. Now pull your arm back again." He smiled when Chickie was able to do this without any problems. "You look great Ms. Brown. Now I want you to wear this brace I'm going to give you for the next few months until I see you again." He showed the two how to put the brace on without causing her pain, and then he left them alone with Dr. Kline.

"Have you had any problems you want to ask me about? Any cramps or morning sickness?" She asked.

"I haven't had any cramps, and the morning sickness isn't anything too bad." She told her.

"That's good to hear. Now we can see your baby." She told them and Ben took her hand in his. Dr. Kline rolled the instrument over Chickie's belly that was just starting to getting a little rounder. The couple had decided not to find out the sex of the baby a long time ago when she had her amniocentesis.

"She just looks just like you." He joked and she smiled. Dr. Kline finished the sonogram and Chickie pulled down her shirt again.

"How is work going?" She asked.

"Boring." She groaned.

"But safe and very unstressful." He told the doctor and smiled. Chickie tried to smile too but honestly she was a little irritated he didn't understand.

"Well, safe and unstressful is good for a pregnant woman." She told them as she booked their next appointment. Then they left to pick up Kyle and meet Jinny to go see houses.


	14. Chapter 14

Ben was in the back of Jinny's car with Kyle as she drove them around LA looking at houses. Chickie was in the front and Ben could tell she was starting to get tired. She was rubbing her stomach with one hand and looking out the window.

"Let's hope this next one is the one." Jinny told them with enthusiasm. He looked over to see Kyle texting, but he had a frustrated look on his face like he was confused.

"Is your phone not working?" He asked Kyle.

"No it never works." Kyle told him.

"Maybe we can see if we can get you a new one." When Ben said this Kyle smiled and nodded. Chickie turned around like she was going to say something when Jinny pulled to a stop at the curb.

"Okay guys lets take a look." Jinny told them and got out of the car. Ben got out of the car and walked over to passenger side. He instantly saw the look of pure love on Chickies face. He turned to face the house she was looking at. It was simply beautiful Mediterranean style home with whitewashed sides and dark brown wood shutters. They all walked along the stone pathway, and made their way into the living room of the home.

"As you can see there are hardwood floors that run through the entire house. You have a stucco fireplace with stone accents." Jinny told them and walked them into the kitchen. As they walked Chickie took Ben's hand in hers. He looked at her a smiled.

"Brand new stainless steel appliances, and there is also the stone backsplash. The full size family refrigerator comes with the purchase. Plenty of room to feed a teenager and new baby." She smiled at Kyle who was close to her. Ben remembered how she had always been good with his little sister.

"What do you think about the house so far Kyle? Can you see having some friends hanging out in this kitchen after school?"

"Sure." Kyle nodded and seemed genuinely happier since they had started their outing. Jinny lead them past the dinning room, living room and up the stairs.

"How about I show Kyle the room and the bathroom that could be his and you two could look at the master." Ben and Chickie nodded and walked to the room Jinny pointed them toward.

"Oh Ben." Chickie whispered as she made her way into the room. The space was large and airy and had an amazing view from the balcony.

"It's beautiful." He agreed. She smiled and went to look at the bathroom while he looked out the balcony.

"Ben come here!" Chickie cried out. He rushed over to the bathroom with fear there was something wrong.

"Chickie is everything -" She reached out for his hand with a sparkle in her eyes.

"Ben look at this shower! And there is a separate bathtub!" She smiled. He had to admit a full glass shower was much nicer than the cramped one even at his apartment.

"So you like the place?" He asked while wrapping himself around her from behind.

"I love it sweetheart. Thank you for doing this for us." She smiled and gave him kiss.

"We're both doing this Chickie."


	15. Chapter 15

**I call this time of my life "When I thought it was a good idea to start 3 fanfictions at once, finally finished one, then I was stupid and I started another one." So I'm tired but I love writing this stuff and you guys are awesome for commenting.**

Chickie was so frustrated she wanted to scream, but she didn't want to wear those damn maternity blues pants. She had been trying for twenty minutes to button them, and the other women had already left the locker room. She slammed the locker door closed and rested against the door with her eyes closed.

"Is everything okay?" She heard Lydia's voice suddenly.

"Yeah sure." She told her and tried to smile.

"Really? Because I'm pretty sure your pants aren't closed and you tried to break your locker door." Lydia said and took a seat on the bench running next to the lockers.

"I can't fit into my pants." Chickie laughed. "A pretty stupid reason to get pissed off right?"

"I'd be pretty pissed off too if I couldn't fit into my pants and was stuck on desk duty, while my boyfriend got to go on like nothing was changing for him." Lydia told her.

"It's not like Ben can do anything about it." Chickie told her and reopened the locker door. She pulled out the maternity blues pants with elastic waist and sighed. "Since I have to wear these I'm eating an entire gallon of ice cream tonight." Both women laughed and Lydia left the locker room. Chickie tried to shake her bad mood and told herself to move on.

* * *

Chickie was quiet the entire ride home, but Ben waited for her to start the conversation. When she was like this he knew to just let her be. He opened her house door for them and was careful when he stepped inside. The next day was their moving day, and the house seemed to be filled to the brim with moving boxes. Chickie had arranged for Kyle to spend the night and next day with a friend so he wouldn't be in the way during the move. Ben went to the kitchen to get one of the few glasses they had left out for a drink, but Chickie went into their room. He heard her moving something around and then her foot steps coming down the hall. He turned around to see her dumping a few sheets and pillows on the couch.

"Chickie, would you mind telling me what you're doing?" He asked quietly. He had been warned by his fellow cops that were Dads to let her do whatever the hell she wanted.

"You," She said calmly. "Are sleeping on the couch."

"Okay. Can I ask why?"

"Because I think if you sleep next to me I might attack you while you're sleeping."

"Again can I ask why?" He was keeping a safe distance in the kitchen.

"Because Ben! Because I have to wear maternity pants, I have to work desk duty, you bought me a house, and you are giving both of my children trust funds!" She busted out.

"I don't understand why those last ones-"

"And the cell phone." She said firmly.

"The new cell phone we bought Kyle?" He asked.

"You promised him that phone without even asking me." She told him. "Be up by seven."

**As always I love comments/critiques. **


	16. Chapter 16

**Just a little chapter for you guys. Thanks for reading and reviewing.**

It was almost seven in the morning when Ben tried to walk in as quietly as he could into their room. He tried to be quiet when he opened the dresser drawer to grab the one shirt he had not packed, but he heard Chickie stir once he did.

"Ben." She simply said and reached out for his hand. He sighed and walked over to the bed taking her hand. She pulled him toward her and he held her in his arms as they laid in the bed. "I'm sorry Ben." She whispered.

"Its fine, you're pregnant." He told her. She shook her head.

"That's no excuse to treat you that way. Don't get me wrong I'm still angry but I should talk to you about it not just lose it."

"And I should try to understand more." He told her and kissed the top of her head. "I know your going through a lot, but so am I. All of the sudden I'm a boyfriend, a homeowner, a role model, and almost a Dad."

"I know, I know." She turned her head and looked straight into his eyes. "You are going to be an amazing father." She told him and gave him a gentle squeeze as she snuggled closer to him before she started to get out of bed. Ben followed her knowing the movers would be there soon.

* * *

Ben sighed as he closed the door behind the last mover. But any feeling of exhaustion or frustration that he had melted away when Chickie came behind him and gave him a hug.

"I love you." She told him as she smiled and gave him a peck. "I love you and this gorgeous house." Ben smiled too and looked around. Despite all the boxes the house was still stunning. John was going to be there soon to help them unpack and also bring lunch. The only room they wouldn't have to worry about was Kyle's who they had sworn to they wouldn't touch his things. Chickie turned him around so he faced her and gave him a passionate kiss. They stood for a while kissing until he came up for air.

"If we did that at work do you think we get fired?" Ben smirked. Chickie laughed and gave him a little smack. They heard the door bell ring and Ben went to open it.

"Hey John." Ben took the pizza and led John to the kitchen. "Sorry but we don't know where our plates are." He told John as Chickie tore off some paper towels for them to use. They ate as they talked about the previous day at work and the swing shift Ben and Chickie were going to miss that afternoon to work on the house.

"We should get started unpacking I have to be at the station by two unlike you two." John told them. They spent the next few hours trying to get the basic necessities like pots and pans out so they could at least function for the next days until everything was unpacked. John left at one thirty and Ben and Chickie collapsed on the couch in each others arms.


	17. Chapter 17

With the baby due in a little more than three months Ben and Chickie were trying to create some sort of routine for their family. When they were able to work during the day and be off by three Ben would pick up Kyle while Chickie picked up the groceries for dinner. Then Ben and Kyle would cook while Chickie relaxed on the couch like her doctor recommended. When they worked nights they made breakfast as a family while Ben drove Kyle to school. During their days they talked for hours trying to get to know each other more, become more of a couple. Chickie shared war stories of when Kyle was a baby to prepare him for the one on way. They had also started to get the baby's nursery together, and Ben had pained the walls a forest green with a thick white border along both the bottom and top of the walls. The room was bare of furniture which was why they were at a baby furniture store after meeting with Linda for lunch. Chickie was pacing around the store uncomfortably. They all had dispersed throughout the room to try to see what would look best in the room. She knew Linda was just trying to be nice by offering to buy the furniture for the baby's room, but it had always made her uncomfortable to take peoples money.

"So according to my Mom we should narrow it down at least between dark wood and light wood." Ben told her as he came behind her. She nodded her head and pointed to a dark wood crib and dresser next to the one she was looking at.

"Don't you think that would look nice with the green and white?" She asked. She wanted this to be his choice too.

"Sure." He agreed. "It doesn't look like it would be too hard to assemble either."

"There is no way I'm letting you put it together by yourself." She laughed. "I'm making John come by and help. I would like my baby to have a Father when she comes."

"Or he." He told her and gave her a kiss on the cheek.

"Or he." She agreed.

"Oh this would look lovely with the room colors." Linda told them as she walked over toward them. Chickie didn't know why but it felt nice to get compliments like that from her. Like when she told Chickie what a sweet and polite boy Kyle was after the first time she met him. "Now let's look at linens." Ben smiled at Chickie as the two women walked together to pick out the sheets his baby would sleep in.

* * *

"Chickie I can't find the lighter." Ben called from the kitchen.

"Top drawer on the left hand side of the sink." She called over the laughter of the kids she was sitting with in the dining room. He found the lighter and lite the candles on the cake that was on the island. He carefully walked with it to the dining room and Chickie began to sing when she saw him. Kyle grinned sheepishly as his friends Bianca, David and Mike joined in. Ben put the cake in front of Kyle and Chickie continued to take pictures.

"Make a wish Kyle." She told him and he blew out the candles. Ben began to cut the cake when their door bell rang.

"I'll get it." She told them. But the grin that was on her face turned toward horror when she saw who it was.

"Hey Chickie. You look like your doing good for yourself. New man?" The tall dark hair man on her door step asked.

"Damn Henry what are you doing here?" She put her hand protectively around her stomach as she walked partially out of the house holding the door behind her. "You need to leave now."

"I want to see my kid on his fourteenth birthday." He told her with a smirk.

"Being a sperm donor does not mean you are a Father!" She whispered harshly. "And you're right I do have a new man who loves me and Kyle. If you even give a little crap about your son you would leave us alone. How in the hell did you even find me?"

"I have my ways." He continued to smirk and she had the urge to slap it off.

"I'm a cop and so is Ben. People shouldn't be able to just find our house." She told him. "Now for the last time I'm asking for you to leave Henry." But she could tell he wasn't paying attention to her but looking behind her. She sighed when she saw Kyle and Ben standing behind her.

"I'm sorry, I tried to stop him." Ben explained.

"Hey kid." Henry said to Kyle. "It's me, Dad." He said when he didn't respond.

"Go away! I never want to see you again." Kyle screamed and ran up the stairs.


	18. Chapter 18

**Again thank you for the reviews. It was such a pain to get this chapter up but I hope you like it.**

Chickie watched as her son ran up the stairs and cringed when he slammed his door shut. There was nothing more that she wanted than to punch Henry in the face, but she knew she had to stay in control for the sake of her son.

"Look I'm sorry Chickie. I just wanted to see Kyle." Chickie shook her head.

"I don't want to talk about that now. I need to go check if he is okay."

"Well, can you tell him happy birthday for me?" Chickie stared at him but she could see the smugness was gone from his face.

"Sure." She nodded. "You can leave your number with Ben." Ben walked to the desk in the living room to find paper as she walked up to the stairs. She gently knocked on Kyle's door while putting her head to the door.

"Honey, can I come in?" She asked. When she didn't hear a response she decided to come in. Kyle was lying on his bed with his back turned towards her. She gently lowered herself onto the bed as she held her stomach. "Honey?"

"Is he gone?" Kyle grumbled.

"He's leaving his number with Ben but after that he is going to leave." She told him as she gently rubbed his back. "Honey, I know you are angry with him, but I think it might be a good idea to at least talk to him."

"I don't want to talk to him." He mumbled. "Tell my friends I sort of just want to be alone now."

"Are you sure you want them to leave?" She asked. She knew how much Kyle had looked forward to his friends hanging out in his new room and getting to know Ben.

"Yeah." He mumbled and Chickie nodded.

"I love you sweetheart." She left the room and gently closed to the door behind her. Ben was just reaching the top of the stairs when she was walking out.

"How is Kyle?" He asked after giving her a gentle, reassuring hug.

"Angry." She told him.

"Yeah, I would be too." He agreed.

"He wants his friends to leave." She sighed.

"What? He's looked forward to this party for weeks." He gave her a small peck on the cheek. "Go tell them that Kyle is going to be down soon. I'll talk to him." She nodded and walked down the stairs. Ben knocked on the door and walked into Kyle's room.

"Hey man." Ben walked over to the bed and pulled over Kyle's desk chair over. "Look Kyle, I know you're mad but you need to at least listen to me." Kyle rolled over but still didn't speak. "Your Dad really screwed up but-"

"Don't call him that." Kyle interrupted. "He hasn't been my Dad since I was two."

"Your right." Ben agreed while nodding. "And I'm not saying you have to start seeing him every weekend, but I think you should at least meet with him once."

"Why?" Kyle mumbled.

"Take it from someone who has wasted a lot of time on being angry." Ben told him. "Look, my Father is a jerk and I wasted a lot of time on him he didn't deserve."

"Have you talked to him like you want me to talk to Henry?" Kyle asked.

"No I haven't." Ben admitted. "But tell you what I'll talk to him if you talk to Henry."

"Fine." Kyle nodded. "But I'm not calling him Dad."

"No one is going to make you do anything you don't want to." Ben told him. "Now do you want to finish this party?"

"Yeah." Kyle nodded and smiled. "Mike brought over a new NBA basketball game for us to play on the Xbox."

"Sounds great." Ben smiled and gave him a pat on the shoulder.


	19. Chapter 19

Ben walked over to the table the hostess had directed him to, and he could see Jack already looking at a menu. The lights in the restaurant were dimmed and there were a few candles on their table.

"Hey, Dad." He told him picking up his menu.

"Is there a problem with the trust funds? Is that why you wanted to meet?" Jack asked.

"Can't a son have dinner with his Dad?"

"Ben, the last time we saw each other you threatened to blow my brains out. Hell, I probably deserved it but still." Jack commented. The two sat in silence as the soft jazz music played and the lower murmur of voices filled the air. Ben took a sip of his water unsure of what to say.

"I made a promise to Chickie's kid we would talk." Ben admitted it. Jack arched his brow and started to laugh. Ben smiled and shook his head. "I know, I know. Pathetic right?"

"Pathetic is that it took a teenager to make us sit down at a table like real adults? Maybe." Jack murmured while looking at the menu.

"I have a lot of reasons to be mad at you Dad. You insulted my girlfriend and made her sound like a piece of trash." Ben glared. He knew he was being immature but his Father had insulted the woman who made him a better person.

"Kid, I'm sorry okay?" Jack told him as he finally looked up from the menu. "But when I thought about you being a Dad it made me think of all the things I screwed up when you were a kid."

"I'm not going to make those same mistakes." Ben told him firmly. Jack smiled and nodded.

"I know your going to try not to. But Son, no one is a perfect parent and you are going to make mistakes. Granted, your kid is going to has two cops as parents to look up to."

"Chickie's an amazing Mother, and I've learned a lot from her already." Ben knew his Father was right about making mistakes, but he hoped they wouldn't be as bad as his. "She would love to meet you."

"Would she really?" Jack laughed as well as Ben.

"I haven't told her all bad stories. Remember that time you took me to Candlestick Park to watch a game?"

"We had skybox tickets but you still wanted to catch a fly ball." Jack smiled remembering.

"You told me you would get me something better, and after the game we met the entire team."

"You were so tired but you stayed awake on the ride home so you could tell your mother all about it. Son, I know I haven't been the best Father and we probably won't ever really get along. But I want you to know I do care about you."

"I know Dad, I know." Ben nodded. "Mom is throwing a baby shower for Chickie in two weeks. Do you think you want to stop by? You know see the new house and meet our friends from work."

"Sure kid. I'll try to stop by." Jack nodded and the waiter finally came to take their order.

* * *

It was almost ten when he got home and the lights were already out in the house. Ben tried to slip as quietly as he could into their bed, but he felt her stir as soon as he got in.

"Sorry babe." He told her and gently kissed her. She drowsily smiled and shook her head.

"I was already up. Your kids been kicking me non stop."

"Sorry about that." He grinned and soon she was tangled in his arms.

"You don't have a black eye, so…" Chickie murmured. Ben rubbed her belly gently as she nudged her head in the crook of his neck.

"We're never going to be close, but I think we made progress." Ben told her. "I invited him to the shower."

"Do you think your Mother is going to be okay with that?" She asked.

"I think my Moms been waiting for me to forgive him for a long time." He told her. "Get some sleep babe." She fell asleep before he did and her even breathing soothed him. He knew he could have never had that conversation with his Father if he hadn't had Chickie forcing him to grow up.


	20. Chapter 20

**Okay so I would like your guys input about something I have been debating. So do you think Chickie and Ben should get engaged? Do you think Chickie would want to or would she be afraid Ben is doing it just out of obligation?**

"Ben, do we have anymore soda? I think we're running out." Ben turned away from the burgers he was grilling and rolled his eyes. They were having her baby shower finally after many delays to accommodate people's schedules, but Chickie had wanted everyone to be there. It was a beautiful day on their back patio with about thirty friends and family mingling away as light music filled the air. He put down the spatula and gently put his hand on her arm.

"Chickie your eight months pregnant you shouldn't be standing." He told her as he led her over to one of the patio benches where Langley was sitting while talking to John.

"I can stand Ben." She rolled her eyes but she complied and gently lowered herself onto the bench. She thought it was sweet how concerned Ben was about her and the baby even though it could be too much sometimes. He gave her a small peck on the cheek and walked back to the grill.

"I wish I had a guy that cared about me that much." Langley laughed. Chickie just smiled and patted her shoulder.

"Your twenty three Langley and you'll find someone soon don't worry." She told her. "I wish Ben would calm down about me and the baby. He wants me to take my maternity leave early."

"Tell me about it." John laughed. "I had to take his cell phone away from him the other day to stop him from checking up on you for the tenth time."

"How many more days do you have left until your leave?" Langley asked.

"A week but Kyle was a week overdue." Chickie sighed as she rubbed her belly. "I'm going to be bored to tears until this baby comes."

"Just don't go into labor at work okay? Last thing I need is Ben driving like a maniac through the streets of LA trying to get to the hospital." John told her. God that was the last place Chickie wanted to go into labor. She could just imagine all those men in the station room who had handled women going into labor before, but would suddenly become useless when it was her. It wasn't really their fault she thought. It was different when it was one of your own, especially one who had always been one of the guys.

"I'll try." She told him and started to laugh as the baby kicked her right in the ribs reminding her she had no control what the baby was going to do. She rubbed her side and grimaced as the baby continued to kick.

"Right in the ribs?" Josie asked. She sat in the seat across from Chickie as John walked over to talk to a few detectives. Chickie rolled her eyes and nodded. "All of my kids kicked me even when I was in labor."

"I was in labor with Kyle for twelve hours, so this baby better not think about kicking me the entire time."

"You two so are not making me want to have a baby right now." Langley laughed as she took another swig of her beer. "After seeing you benched I don't even think I'll ever want one. It takes too much out of your career." Chickie smiled at her young coworkers comment. She had thought the same thing after having Kyle and becoming a cop. SWAT had become her dream and she damn well knew another baby could give some jerk a reason not to accept her.

"I used to think that too Langley, but the love you get from a baby is worth more than a promotion."

After everyone had eaten it was time for them to open all of the presents. He was about to call everyone over to where Chickie was sitting when he heard his fathers voice behind him.

"Sorry I'm late kid." Jack shrugged as he offered the yellow gift bag he was holding to Ben.

"It's fine Dad. I'm just glad you could come." He told him taking the bag. "I was just about to call everyone over so we could open the gifts, but do you want to meet Chickie first?" Ben knew they were never going to have a strong relationship, but he didn't want to be the reason why his kid didn't know his Grandpa Jack.

"Of course." Jack nodded and Ben led him over to where Chickie was sitting talking to Lydia. Ben couldn't help but smile every time he looked at her. Her long blond hair was loose like he liked it and she was wearing a green maternity sun dress that went well with her eyes. Chickie glanced over to Ben's direction and he thought he saw a flash of panic in her eyes. Chickie wanted the same thing Ben wanted, but it didn't mean she had forgotten the fact he originally didn't want anything to do with her.

"Dad this is Chickie. Chickie this is my Dad, Jack." Jack shook her hand as she put on a smile.

"It's very nice to meet you." She told him still smiling, but Ben noticed she was protectively holding her stomach.

"Forgive me for being late. I was almost here when I realized I left your gift at home." He told her gesturing to the bag Ben was holding.

"That was nice of you to drive all the way back. That will be the first present I open." She told him and Jack smiled. After Ben rounded everyone up they started to open the presents. They hadn't registered anywhere because Chickie had said it was tacky to pick out your own gifts and expect others to pay for them. Besides, she said, and then you were more surprised when you opened the gifts. Like she promised she opened Jacks presents first. Ben was a little afraid it was going to be something that proved his fear he had picked up the present at the last moment, but was shocked when Chickie pulled a blue Tiffany's box out.

"Oh wow." She breathed as she undid the bow and opened the lid. "It's a Tiffany's rattle."

"There's more." Jack told her motioning to the bag. She was worried it was going to be something extravagant like a coupon for Mercedes for the babies sixteenth birthday, but smiled when she pulled a thick book out.

"The complete collection of Curious George stories." She smiled as she showed the crowed the book.

"You're favorite as a kid." Jack smiled and Ben nodded. Things weren't going to be perfect with them but they were going to be okay he thought. They received many nice gifts like the stuffed dog that smelled like lavender from John, the baby blanket stitched with stars from Lydia, and set of bath toys from Josie. Chickie especially loved the little coat from Bens mother that was supposed to look like a lamb and had little lamb ears on the hood. She noticed Kyle turn shyly away when she opened his gift and tears came to her eyes when she opened his gift. It was a soft stuffed lamb with a yellow bow around its neck.

"Just like you used to have when you were a baby." She smiled and Kyle simply nodded. She knew he was embarrassed by all of the people looking at him so she restrained herself from getting up to kiss him. Before she knew it all of the presents were opened and the guest had left. Linda insisted Chickie had too long of a day and made her go rest in her bed while she and Ben cleaned up. Chickie didn't have the energy to argue and knew Linda was probably right. She changed into a comfortable pair of pajamas and lay in bed. She hadn't even realized she was falling asleep until she was woken by Ben getting into their bed.

"Go back to bed Babe." He told her as he wrapped her in his arms as well as he could with her stomach in the way.

"Thank you for today." She whispered falling asleep again. "I didn't get this with Kyle."

"You deserve it Chickie. I love you." He told her kissing her cheek. "I love you more than you could ever imagine."**.com**


	21. Chapter 21

**This will be the second to last chapter before the epilogue Thank you everyone for reviewing and giving me lots of help. I still don't know what I want to do with their engagement but I have one vote for no.**

"Hey Langley." Chickie took her usual seat next toLangleyfor their daily debriefing. She knew Ben, as overly protective as he was, wanted to sit next to her, but she enjoyed the short chats she had withLangleybefore the meeting started. "I heard you had a date with Kurt from narcotics." Langley gave a shy smile and nodded.

"We went out for sushi." She told her. "I only told him once Japanese was my favorite and he remembered."

"Didn't I tell you?" They both laughed. Chickie smiled realizing how much Langley reminded her of herself at that age. So unsure of herself and what was waiting for her in the years to come. She rubbed her huge stomach reminding herself she only had two days left until her maternity leave, and in all honesty she was ready for it. It wasn't like when she was only a few months pregnant and she still felt like she could be a cop. She was too huge and tired to think about doing any real police work. She grimaced as she felt what she thought was another Braxton hicks contraction. She had been having them for about an hour but she had been hiding it from Ben because she didn't want him to worry.

"Are you okay?" Langley whispered as Myers started the meeting. Chickie nodded and passed her one of the papers that had been handed to her.

"It's nothing." She told her and began listing to the meeting. She felt fine for about fifteen minutes, but when Myers got to talking about the recent burglaries she felt a searing pain in her stomach that made it feel like she didn't have any air in her lungs. She bit her lip and lowered her head slightly while rubbing her stomach.

"Chickie are you okay?" Langley asked but Chickie couldn't even speak. "I think you need to go to the hospital."Langley told her while gently rubbing her arm.

"John and Ben, you two need to take car nine today-"

"I don't think that's going to work sir."Langley interrupted him as she tried to help Chickie up, but her legs felt too weak to stand. Ben looked behind him and once he saw Chickie in pain he almost threw his chair across the room getting to her.

"We need to get you to the hospital now! John can you drive us?" Chickie couldn't help but laugh at Ben panicking like a little kid.

"We're not in a rush Ben." She laughed as Ben helped her up, but she looked around the room to see a lot of men staring at each other uncomfortably. "If you could get me out of this room that would be nice."

"I'm taking a sick day Lt." John told him as he opened the door for Ben and Chickie, and Myers simply nodded as they left the room. "You made me a promise Chickie." John and Chickie both laughed while they made their way to the elevator.

"Your bag is in the car right?" Ben asked nervously as the walked into the elevator. The contraction eased up and Chickie was able to stand up straight again. She smiled while taking his hand.

"It's in the car all ready to go. Sweetie you need to calm down." She gave him a small peck on the cheek. "This right now is the easy part. In a few hours I'm most likely going to threaten to kill you." Ben draped his arm around her shoulder and gently rubbed her arm. He knew he needed to be there for her, but he didn't know if he was really ready for this.

* * *

Three hours later Ben was sitting on Chickie's hospital bed rubbing her back while his Mother held her hand as she whispered soothing words to her. When they had arrived at the hospital they had been surprised to learn Chickie was already five centimeters dilated. Doctor Kline didn't want to give her an epidural because she was moving so far along. It had been two hour since then, and she was at seven centimeters since the doctor had last checked. He had counted three times she had threatened to shoot him once she got her gun back, and he was just happy he was sitting where she couldn't reach his gun. It was only Ben and his Mother in the room like they had agreed months before. Despite their love for the new baby Kyle, John, and Olivia had admitted they would feel too uncomfortable being in the room. Jack on the other hand was supposed to be there but was stuck in traffic.

"How much longer?" She moaned while shoving her head into the pillow.

"We have to wait until-" He started but she cut him off.

"I wasn't talking to you!" She growled while his mother began whispering again.

"Doctor Kline should be by any minute to check on you." Linda said softly. Ben had never loved his mother more than right then, and having her there to sooth the woman he loved.

"I want this to stop." Chickie yelled and rolled over onto her back. Ben could see she was now crying and he wiped away her tears.

"I know babe, I know." He whispered. If he could have done anything to take away her pain he would have.

"I love you Ben, but I really want to shoot you for doing this to me." She grumbled with her eyes closed rubbing her stomach to try to take away some of her pain. At that moment Dr. Kline walked in with a smile Ben knew was going to irritate Chickie.

"How are we doing?" Dr. Kline asked and Ben could tell Chickie was trying not to let a snide remark slip out. "Lets see how much farther you are." Ben held her hand and gently rubbed her head when she stiffened as Dr. Kline examined her. "Okay Chickie its time to start pushing. Let me get ready real quick and then we can get started."

"Your doing great Babe. You are so amazing." He told her with a smile she returned with a scowl.

"I don't want to be amazing I just want this kid out of me." Ben turned around when he heard the sound of the room door opening.

"Sorry I'm late kid." Jack apologized shrugging his shoulders. "That traffic was murder."

"It's fine Jack. Chickie is going to start pushing now." Linda told him with a large grin. "You can stand next to me so you can hold one of her legs." Within a few minutes all of the nurses and Dr. Kline were ready to go. Ben stood on her right holding her hand while also pulling one of her legs up, while his father did the same.

"Okay Chickie on the next contraction I want you to push as hard as you can while Ben counts to ten." Chickie nodded deep in concentration. "Okay now Chickie."

"One… two…" Ben counted as Chickie pushed until he reached ten. She let out a huge breath let her head rest on the pillow. All she could feel at his point was pressure and the urge to push, not really so much pain other than the contractions.

"That was great Chickie. If you keep giving me strong pushes like that your baby will be here in no time." About twenty minutes went by as she continued to push. She thought she was getting no where but she was surprised when Dr. Kline told her she could see the baby's head. That's when the real pain started. "The baby's head is crowning. Do you want to feel the head?"

"I want…" She breathed heavily. "This baby out of me… now!"

"Okay now you have to give me really strong pushes to get the head out." She told her and Chickie began to push again. "The head is out so I need you to stop pushing for a minute." Ben looked over and he felt his mouth drop open when he saw the baby's little face. He turned back to Chickie and gave her a smile.

"You're almost finished." He told her and she nodded. Dr. Kline then had her push again and announced when the shoulders where out, which was when Chickie probably screamed the loudest, and in almost an instant the baby began to cry.

"It's a girl." She announced while putting the baby on Chickie's chest, and Chickie began to cry.

"It's okay Chickie, Its okay. She's perfect." He whispered to her.

To anyone else she probably looked like any other squirming baby, but to them she was one of the most beautiful things they had ever seen.

"A little girl." She whispered and Ben kissed her as he gently stroked the baby's soft blond hair.

"You are amazing." He told her again, and this time she smiled back at him.

"Dad, do you want to cut the cord?" Dr. Kline asked. Ben nodded and took the small pair of scissors from her. After he cut the cord the nurses took her over to weigh her and clean her off.

"Stay with her Ben." She ordered and Ben obliged. He walked over to where his daughter was being cleaned off and gently stroked her check with his finger. By the time the nurses where done with her Chickie had already been stitched up and delivered the after birth. He followed the nurse that was carrying his daughter as they walked over to where Chickie was lying. He smiled when the baby was finally placed in her Mothers arms.

"She looks just like you." He told her and she agreed.

"Does she have a name yet?" His mother asked while giving the baby a kiss on the head.

"We had a couple picked out but it's your choice Chickie. You did all the work." Ben smiled at Chickie will he stroked her hand that was supporting the baby.

"Everyone meet Fiona Isabelle." She told them as she cuddled her daughter closer. Ben wrapped his arm around her and they marveled at their little angel.


	22. Chapter 22

**Okay this is the last chapter. I know I said I was doing an epilogue but I've decided to do a sequel. Be warned it won't be until the new season. I've found it a little tricky to write these characters because they are so new, so I want to wait until I have more to go off of. Feel free to leave suggestions on anything you would like to see in the epilogue.**

All Ben could remember was being tired for two weeks straight. He had taken two weeks of leave but he couldn't take any more off than that. Those weeks were a blur of diapers, crying and feedings. Ben had to hold back a laugh when Chickie told him one night they were lucky to have such a cooperative baby. He couldn't imagine what it would be like having one that wasn't. Baby Fiona was on a somewhat established feeding schedule and Ben would always bring her to Chickie in bed, and then burp her afterward. Today had been his first day back at work and it was a welcome relief. He had always thought the streets of LA were stressful, until he had known what it felt like to stay up for five hours straight with a crying baby. He carefully walked into the house at eleven at night careful not to slam the door incase Fiona was sleeping. He quietly walked up the stairs to see both this bedroom light on and Kyle's. He took a deep breath remembering that Kyle had gone out to dinner with Henry that night. Ben tapped on Kyle's door a couple of times then let himself in. Kyle lifted his head up from the book he was reading and Ben took a seat next to Kyle.

"Everything go okay tonight?" He asked. Kyle shrugged and went back to his book.

"He said he was sorry and stuff. You know all the stuff he was supposed to say." Ben didn't hear anger in his voice and he knew Kyle hadn't been expecting much. "He isn't staying around. He found some job in Florida."

"I'm sorry man. I wish things hadn't turned out this way for you two." Ben was a little relieved to know Henry was going to be out of the picture, and he felt guilty for it.

"I am glad they did." Kyle said matter-of-factly.

"You are?" Ben asked.

"Well, yeah I guess. If he wouldn't have left Mom she would never have become a Cop, and she would never have met you. I guess everything turned out pretty good for everyone." Kyle smiled at Ben and Ben gave him a quick hug before leaving. He closed the door behind him and walked to his bedroom. He found Chickie fast asleep with Fiona resting comfortably on her chest. He gently lifted her off her chest and cuddled her for a few moments. He then put her in the bassinette near the window and gave her a gentle kiss on the top of the head.

"Is she asleep?" Chickie groggily asked and Ben walked over to sit next to her.

"Almost, go back to sleep babe. If she wakes up I'll take care of her." He brushed away a lock of her hair and she smiled.

"You need your sleep too Ben. I don't want you out there on the streets falling half asleep."

"I'm sure Jon will let me grab a few minutes of sleep in the squad car." He laughed while crawling into bed with her. He had showered at the stationhouse because he had been unsure if he was going to get the chance at home. He held her in his arms for a few minutes until Fiona began to make noises from her bassinette. "Duty calls."

"I love you." She whispered as she fell asleep.

"Love you too." He told her and he pulled the covers gently over her. He then went to go take care of his crying little girl. She was many things. Unplanned, a miracle, and even at times, very nerve wracking. She was everything he thought he wasn't ready for, but with the most amazing woman by his side he felt a confidence he had never felt before.


End file.
